For the first time since 2019-20, there is no clear cut answer as to who the undisputed top forward is on the New York Rangers' roster. Artemi Panarin was that player from the moment he arrived until he left via trade last season, and having someone step up to be the focal point of the offense is critical to the success of the team. Mika Zibanejad is an incumbent with a good chance of laying claim to that title, and Pavel Dorofeyev is a newcomer who the Rangers clearly believe in, While both are good choices, there's a good chance a youngster from last year's team could eventually grab that title, and doing so could change everything about the immediate future of the organization.
The sooner the Rangers' next chapter begins, the better!
Antonio touched upon this on Thursday, and it got me to thinking more about Alexis
Lafrenière and Gabe Perreault. Lafrenière's end to the season got a lot of attention, but I think Perreault's is one that is still being slept on just a bit. It is clear that some analysts have doubts about his potential, but I think it is important to consider the context of what he did last season.
The Rangers' season was a disaster in which it was clear they weren't making the playoffs. The departure of Panarin created an opportunity, and Perreault is one of the players who jumped at the opportunity. It is accurate to say that his sample as a rookie is too small to the point that you don't want to use it too much to make predictions for the upcoming season. But even with that being said... Perreault should enter this season in a much better position, and that should only help him have a larger impact on the team.
Perreault scored three goals and added five assists for eight points during his first 23 games which equates to 0.347 points per game, or a 28 point pace over an 82 game season. All things considered, that isn't the worst in the world. It's not great, but it's a good starting point for a young player.
During his final 26 games in February, March, and April, Perreault scored nine goals, recorded 10 assists, and his 19 points gave him a points per game average of 0.730. Over an 82 game season that's 60 points which is fantastic for someone who only turned 21 this May.
Gabe Perreault doesn't make Corey Pronman top 156 under 23 year of age players. Here's a video i just put together wondering why. At the end is Perreault Hat Trick Goal. #NYR https://t.co/2WiT5dyqje pic.twitter.com/SqRZRtzZE6
— David 🏒 (@DaveyUpper) August 19, 2026
Ultimately we are looking at 49 games of NHL action playing just 15:59 a night with limited chances on the power play. While that's usually a hinderance for player evaluation, given Perreault's track record prior to the NHL, it isn't hard to make an educated guess on what he could be capable of with 18 minutes or more a night and some power play opportunities. He's already one of the more gifted offensive players on the roster, and we got a glimpse of that during his initial sample with the team during the 2024-25 season.
This fall he will enter camp in NHL shape knowing he has a job, and while he still just 5'11", him being at or above 180 pounds puts him in a better position to withstands the rigors of a full season.
Sounds like Corey is shifting the goal posts. "I am not betting against Perreault getting points" ... "I have questions about how his body will hold up".... so we all won't know for like 10/15 years from now if Corey is wrong 😂 #NYR https://t.co/Zd9o9XziL7
— David 🏒 (@DaveyUpper) August 20, 2026
That he was able to join the roster on the fly last year, not simply ride the coattails of an elite scorer like Panarin, and instead drive the offense inspires confidence that he could be the next young player to take a significant step forward.
A potential best case scenario fo Perreault
In all honesty, I think you can see a world in which Perreault eclipses 70 points and put together a 30-40, or a 25-35 type season for the Rangers. That seems very optimistic, but part of me wonders if we could see a scenario in which Mike Sullivan deploys a line of Dorofeyev on the left, Zibanejad in the middle, and Perreault on the right.
This would create a scenario in which Lafrenière takes the left flank, J.T. Miller is on the middle, and Oliver Bjorkstrand is on the right. The reason I think this is because although last year's line with Perreault and Lafreniere was solid with Zibanejad, it saw Lafreniere playing out of position. For the longest time the Rangers' left wing depth chart forced him to play on his right side, and I'd imagine he'd like to get back to doing that.
Perreault and Dorofeyev are both left handed shots that can flip back and forth, but I think having Perreault as another playmaker on his line can help get the most out of him. There's skepticism that Dorofeyev can maintain his goal scoring production away from Vegas, and while Zibanejad is an accomplish distributor, Perreault would add a little something extra. This hypothetical would give the Rangers a high-octane top line with a pure gun slinger in Dorofeyev, Zibanejad as someone willing to do whatever his team needs, and then Perreault as the ultimate opportunist.
Training camp is still a couple weeks away, so for now this is all speculation. Even with that being the case, I think it's an interesting thought to have, and I think you will find that the more you think about the potential of that line, the easier it becomes to see someone like Perreault having a nice jump in his sophomore season
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